Posted on 09/23/2004 10:33:57 AM PDT by MizSterious
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"Yes, your honor," Hacking told Judge William Barrett when asked he understood what it meant to give up a preliminary hearing, which is essentially acknowledging that the state has enough evidence against him to proceed with a murder trial. Hacking wore handcuffs and a bulletproof vest over his yellow jail jumpsuit.
Those were the only three words Hacking said during the short hearing, attended by most of his family members and Lori's father, Eraldo Soares. A conference hearing was scheduled Oct. 29, when a trial date could be set.
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Robert Stott said there have been no plea negotiations so far.
Even though Lori Hacking's body and a weapon haven't been recovered, Stott said he was prepared to proceed with the murder case based on other evidence and Mark Hacking's alleged confession to his brothers.
"We would hope he wouldn't lie to his brothers," Stott said.
Hacking's lawyer, Gil Athay, did not speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. Stott said prosecutors knew on Wednesday that Hacking would waive his right to the hearing.
Soares met with victim's advocates from the district attorney's office for more than an hour after the hearing, and swept past a horde of reporters and onto an elevator guarded by Salt Lake County Sheriff's deputies without offering much comment.
Hacking, a 28-year-old former hospital orderly, is being held in jail on a first-degree murder charge, unable to raise $1 million bail.
Hacking allegedly confessed to his brothers that he shot his 27-year-old wife in the head with a .22-caliber firearm while she slept, then threw the body and gun in separate trash bins.
Authorities believe Lori Hacking was killed after she learned her husband wasn't enrolled in medical school in North Carolina, even though they were packing to move there.
Hacking also has been charged with obstructing justice, accused of throwing Lori's body, the gun and a bloody mattress in separate trash bins.
Because his alleged confession came in a psychiatric ward where Hacking was treated for 13 days after his wife disappeared, Athay has suggested he might try an insanity defense.
Hacking was checked into the ward after police found him running naked outside a Salt Lake hotel.
Volunteers last week began hand searching part of the landfill for Lori Hacking's body amid 4,600 tons of trash, all the refuse dumped at a landfill the day Hacking's husband reported her missing July 19.
Salt Lake City Police Detective Dwayne Baird on Thursday said if her body is in the landfill, they will find it.
Cooler weather allowed the human search after intermittent searches of the landfill debris by cadaver dogs did not produce a body.
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Thanks for the update. I see they still don't have a body; I'm beginning to wonder if he dumped the body in a dumpster or out in the desert somewhere.
Interesting that he's not disputing that they have the evidence to try him. Like you, though, given his profuse lying for all these years, does he even know how to tell the truth any more? Poor Lori could be anywhere; she could have been killed in many ways. We only have his word for how it was done, and where he left her body--and his word isn't worth much. (But he'd make a great Democrat.)
Fox News reports the prosecutor is talking about making a deal. What kind of deal, they didn't say, only that the majority of cases are settled this way, whatever that means.
I hate to think Hacking is going to sleaze his way out of this and end up with all his nubile young groupies on Oprah or Springer or some such.
Might be problematical if they can't find Laurie.
On with the trial! Then, OFF WITH HIS (BALD) HEAD!
Same thoughts here. MH is a tricky one, with LIES.
The guy looks like he came from Psychos R Us...
POSTED: 4:04 pm EDT September 23, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY -- Mark Hacking, accused of killing his wife while she slept and dumping her body in the trash, waived a preliminary hearing Thursday, acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence to try him for murder.
There have been no plea negotiations, Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Robert Stott said.
The rest of the story is here
Breaking--just in on Fox News: They've found human remains in the Salt Lake City landfill. They think it might be Lori Hacking. Nothing follows yet; when something shows up on the news sites, I'll post it!
Lori Hacking pinglist--if you want on or off, let me know via Freepmail.
Here's hoping and thanks for keeping us posted.
Thanks for the update. I hope it's her for her family's sake, so they may lay her to rest.
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